After the first WTA 1000 tournament of the European clay-court swing, the Top 3 in the world remain the same in singles -- No.1 Iga Swiatek, No.2 Aryna Sabalenka and No.3 Jessica Pegula -- while the Top 5 in doubles remains unchanged.
Sabalenka narrows gap
A finalist last week in Madrid, Swiatek extends her stay at World No.1 to 58 consecutive weeks. However, Madrid champion and No.2 Sabalenka closed the gap to 1,744 points. (Before the tournament, Swiatek held a 2,084-point lead over Sabalenka.) This week in Rome, Sabalenka is defending 350 points from her semifinal run last year, while Swiatek can accumulate 1,000 points if she were to win the title.
Madrid reaction
- Week in Review: Top two players dominate and a memorable breakthrough
- The continuing evolution of Aryna Sabalenka
- Champions Corner: How previous losses to Swiatek helped motivate Sabalenka
- Sabalenka tops Swiatek to win second Madrid title
Top 100 debut for Navarro
In the two weeks since the last rankings update, Emma Navarro won an ITF Circuit title in Charlottesville and advanced to the quarterfinals at the WTA 125 tournament in Saint-Malo. The winner of 14 of her last 17 matches on clay, Navarro, an American, makes her Top 100 debut at No.83 after starting the clay-court season one month ago at No.118.
Career high for Sherif
Madrid quarterfinalist Mayar Sherif defeated three seeds in Madrid, including World No.5 Caroline Garcia, in only Sherif’s ninth WTA 1000 tournament. Sherif collected 215 ranking points by reaching the final eight. She jumps 16 spots, moving from No.59 to No.43.
Azarenka, Haddad Maia stop top seeds Gauff, Pegula to win Madrid
Other notable movements this week:
- Sloane Stephens captured a WTA 125 tournament title last week in Saint Malo, France, a run that included a win over former World No.3 Elina Svitolina in the semifinals. Stephens improves her ranking 12 spots, climbing from No.48 to No.36.
- Camila Osorio returns to the Top 100 this week, moving up 15 spots from No.115 to No.100. After defeating Clara Burel and Marta Kostyuk in the opening rounds in Madrid, the former World No.32 lost to eventual champion Sabalenka in the third round. During the second week of Madrid, Osorio competed at a WTA 125 tournament in Reus, Spain, where she advanced to the quarterfinals.
- After winning back-to-back ITF Circuit events in South America, Argentina’s Julia Riera makes her Top 200 debut this week as she jumps from No.252 to No.193, the largest jump among the Top 200 in this week’s rankings. Argentina now has four women ranked in the Top 200 for the first time since April 2009 -- No.101 Nadia Podoroska, No.163 Maria Carle, No.184 Paula Ormaechea and No.193 Riera.
- Brazil's Beatriz Haddad Maia makes her Top 10 debut in doubles, at No.10, after teaming up with Victoria Azarenka to capture the Madrid title. Azarenka's doubles ranking improved by 320 spots climbing to No.60.
- Taylor Townsend teamed up with Leylah Fernandez in Madrid last week and the duo reached the semifinals as Townsend reaches a career-high No.6 in doubles.
Top 10 at Rome
Here is a look at the points on the line in Rome for the current Top 10:
Iga Swiatek: 1,000 points
Aryna Sabalenka: 350 points
Jessica Pegula: 105 points
Caroline Garcia: 0 points
Coco Gauff: 105 points
Elena Rybakina : 350 points
Ons Jabeur : 585 points
Maria Sakkari : 190 points
Daria Kasatkina : 350 points
Petra Kvitova: 0 points
Other players defending significant points in Rome: Bianca Andreescu (190), Amanda Anisimova (190), Jil Teichmann (190), Petra Martic (135) and Yuilia Putintseva (135).